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General => Ancestral Family Tree DNA Testing => Topic started by: jo1962 on Friday 28 November 25 11:35 GMT (UK)
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Good morning,
I have decided to buy a DNA kit from ancestry. There are two options: Ancestry DNA and Ancestry DNA + traits. Can anyone please tell me what these 'traits' identify? Is the extra £10 worth it?
Many thanks
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Good morning,
I have decided to buy a DNA kit from ancestry. There are two options: Ancestry DNA and Ancestry DNA + traits. Can anyone please tell me what these 'traits' identify? Is the extra £10 worth it?
Many thanks
I wish that these 'traits' had identified chronic hoarding on both sides of the family!
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There's lots on the internet, but, NO. A waste of money. Totally. Ancestry make their company look silly even offering it.
Zaph
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Can anyone please tell me what these 'traits' identify? Is the extra £10 worth it?
The traits are characteristics eg male pattern baldness, dancing, sports ability etc. You get an indication whether you are more likely or less likely to show these characteristics supposedly from analysis of your DNA sample. My results are mostly wrong and it is clear that they are little more than guesses. I agree with Zaphod99 - it reduces their credibility but given they now offer a kit for your dog .....
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Good morning,
I have decided to buy a DNA kit from ancestry. There are two options: Ancestry DNA and Ancestry DNA + traits. Can anyone please tell me what these 'traits' identify? Is the extra £10 worth it?
Many thanks
Personally I would just buy the DNA test and save yourself money. I purchased just the test a few years ago, to date Ancestry has given me 92 (free) traits, they release one every few months, the latest is...
Trait - Sweet or Savoury? Result - More likely to prefer Sweet (which is not accurate). They are all similar to this under different categories.
Not worth the extra £10 in my opinion, but your choice.
Cas
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Thank you everyone for your replies, very helpful :)
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From their site:
Traits we offer
AncestryDNA currently offers the following traits:
Personality
Artist
Cavities
Dancing
Doing things alone
Hangryness
Introvert or extrovert
Morning or night person
Pet ownership
Picky eater
Playing an instrument
Playing music by ear
Remembering dreams
Risk taking
Taking naps
Tongue rolling
Trying new things
Nutrients
Omega-3
Vitamin A
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Performance
Athletic ability
Competitiveness
Desire to succeed
Determination
Focus
Getting stronger
Goal setter
Hand-eye coordination
Heart rate recovery
Heat tolerance
Holding your breath
Individual or team sports
Jumping high
Leader
Making contact with a ball
Muscle fatigue
Optimist
Oxygen use
Pain tolerance
Performing choreography
Persistence
Physical agility
Physical balance
Physical flexibility
Physical strength
Quick reflexes
Runner's high
Self-confidence
Self-discipline
Speed
Sports technique
Sprinting
Trying new things
Watching sports
Sensory
Alcohol flush
Asparagus odor
Bitter sensitivity
Caffeine intake
Cilantro aversion
Mosquito bites
Motion sickness
Spicy foods
Sun sneezing
Sweet or savory foods
Sweet sensitivity
Tolerating dairy
Umami sensitivity
Appearance
Birth weight
Cleft chin
Dimples
Earlobes
Earwax type
Ear wiggling
Eye color
Eyelash length
Facial hair fullness
Finger length
Flat feet
Freckles
Hair type
Hair color
Hair strand thickness
Hitchhiker's thumb
Iris patterns
Longer second toe
Male hair loss
Skin pigmentation
Unibrow
Widow's peak
Wisdom teeth
Zaph
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Wow Zaph, that's quite a list! Thanks
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Ignore Traits.
Whilst you are waiting for the kit to arrive and for the results to research into how to use DNA.
Read this book:-
The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy.
Blaine T Bettinger.
There is another but it goes into technicalities far more, the above is a great starter.
Edit.
Do buy now and submit the sample asap, with DNA kits being given as Thanksgiving and Christmas presents the New Year is a busy time for the processing lab which is in the USA. The kit has return postage to Ireland and kits are bundled and shipped to the USA where they take about 10 in transit.
Do note that for an extra fee you can have Priority Processing.
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I echo Biggles' book recommendation, but make sure you do get the latest edition. So much has changed since I bought the first edition about five years ago. It's surely almost time for a third edition. I read it once a year.
Zaph
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Thank you Biggles and Zaph. I have now ordered my kit (without traits) A good book that explains things in simple terms is definitely what I need.
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Thank you Biggles and Zaph. I have now ordered my kit (without traits) A good book that explains things in simple terms is definitely what I need.
This book is quite good:
Tracing Your Ancestors Using DNA: A Guide for Family Historians Paperback – 17 Jun. 2019
by Graham S Holton (Author)
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Thank you Romilly :)
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Thank you Biggles and Zaph. I have now ordered my kit (without traits) A good book that explains things in simple terms is definitely what I need.
This book is quite good:
Tracing Your Ancestors Using DNA: A Guide for Family Historians Paperback – 17 Jun. 2019
by Graham S Holton (Author)
This is the Amazon link to the Holton book.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Ancestors-Using-DNA/dp/1036150135/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2J0BCIE5J3M2C&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FTvMqJ8TB54A9AY_3tdZMXxt9ZuP6uUp_-ePbpZTdGD4IC7vHfe0jDeKwecM6sa1VI_i_QREXP3dJIG11tbMyg1Jq63Y8Zvd09GfymjJ5e72XbImzwK0pgDvHVqvHXWU.k12jEm_qdyg9EKuTqOFhuThjr3Y4pzdX73ZWvP83TAQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=Graham+holton&qid=1764437730&sprefix=graham+holton%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-2
I have both this one is the Standard, but it is far heavier going than the Bettinger book.
Both are available on Kindle
Whatever you buy do ensure that you get the most up to date versions.
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Thanks for the link Biggles :)
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agreed, the traits on Ancestry aren't that useful. Some of mine were accurate (yeah I have blue eyes) others questionable.
Genetic testing for medical conditions is pretty expensive - there are various providers out there. Once your get Ancestry results, you are free to request your raw Ancestry DNA date, and could upload this to other sites which can offer information on your predisposition to certain conditions. These vary in price - and reliability.
Keep in mind that your Ancestry DNA isn't a whole genome sequence, but instead a snapshot of about 0.1% of your whole genome. So a lot of stuff isn't actually tested. Proper genetic testing is more extensive, and looks specifically at many of these SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that confer risk in certains genes, eg BRCA gene, AP0E4 gene. But again it can be quite expensive.
Good luck!
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Thanks Rob,
Fortunately or unfortunately, however it may be perceived, I have had full medical genetic testing a few years ago due to family conditions that have blighted my family.
I have now received my kit, duly given a saliva sample, registered it and sent it off.
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The one thing to be careful of, if you buy a book, is make sure it is very recent, as the technology changes so very fast. I've got Bettinger's first edition, and I'd love the second one but I can't justify it.
There are also many websites with regularly added new articles, and of course many many films on YouTube, (by presenters who generally really irritate me because they want to be celebrities and I do wish they would just give the information without trying to be entertainers as well!)
Zaph
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Hi Zaph,
I have had a look on amazon for Bettingers book. The latest one I could see is 2019, I'm assuming that is the latest?
Jo
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You could also try your local library
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Hi Zaph,
I have had a look on amazon for Bettingers book. The latest one I could see is 2019, I'm assuming that is the latest?
Jo
2nd edition dated 2019 is the latest.
I have the Kindle versions of both the Bettinger & Holton books.
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Thanks Biggles :)